Showing folder JPGs ?

[pmugghc]

Hi, I just got a Synology 918+ NAS. I'm trying various options to show all my movies on TV shows on it. Basically, I'd like to have the old-style Windows Media Server  interface, e.g.. I have all my films sorted carefully in different folders and would like to navigate using these folders. Simp0lified example:

Movies folder
  Folder.jpg (indicating movies)
  Comedy folder
    Folder.jpg (indicating Comedy)
    Comedy Movie 1.avi 
    Comedy Movie 1.jpg  
    Comedy Movie 2.avi 
    Comedy Movie 2.jpg  

  Action folder
    Folder.jpg (indicating action)
    Action Movie 1.avi 
    Action Movie 1.jpg  
    Action Movie 2.avi 
    Action Movie 2.jpg  

I have the latest WebOS installed. When I try to use the built-in video-photos DLNA player it doesn't show the folder.jpg for each folder, the folders just have a generic icon. Then the film icons (e.g. "action movie 1.jpg") are truncated at the top & bottom,with  pretty poor quality. But at least I can navigate by folder.

My next try  was to use Plex. It shows each films icon beautifully and some info from the internet (nice to have, but I don't really need). But it doesn't show the folder icons, in fact it doesn't show folders at all, everything seems to be lumped into one big pile. I tried various profiles in the Synology DSM Media Server for the TVs.

Can anyone recommend some media server that behaves like to old Windows Media Server? Seems Kodi isn't running on WebOS.

 

 

 

[George Hofmeister]

16 hours ago, pmugghc said:

My next try  was to use Plex. It shows each films icon beautifully and some info from the internet (nice to have, but I don't really need). But it doesn't show the folder icons, in fact it doesn't show folders at all, everything seems to be lumped into one big pile. I tried various profiles in the Synology DSM Media Server for the TVs.

Plex user here, works great for me although I am unsure what you mean by it lumping everything into one big pile.

My media is sorted in to three groups, TV, films and music.  TV and music are folderised (yes it is a word!), while the films are in indeed in one folder with no sub-division.  Not understanding why you need to see folder icons as the Plex interface neatly sorts these three areas of media. 

[pmugghc]

I have my movies in many folders, some examples: Swedish, English, Pirates, Vikings, Comedy, b actor etc.  Some of my TV shows are running series, but I have also documentaries by subject (e.g. Submarines, Ships, Planes, cars etc). So that's why I want to navigate by folder.

[George Hofmeister]

7 minutes ago, pmugghc said:

I have my movies in many folders, some examples: Swedish, English, Pirates, Vikings, Comedy, b actor etc.  Some of my TV shows are running series, but I have also documentaries by subject (e.g. Submarines, Ships, Planes, cars etc). So that's why I want to navigate by folder.

OK.

While not a quick fix Plex does give you the ability to create groups, add tag etc which would achieve the same end result and have them searchable.

[PeterV]

Plex knows, for many movies, what kind of movie it is. It also has the ability to filter you movies on for example Year, Genre, Rating, Director, Actor, Country, Studio.

If you filter on Genre you can select (in my case) on Actie, Action, Adventure, Animatie, Animation, Avonturen, Avontuur (that was only the A :-).

So Plex collects al kind of information on the Movies which you can use to filter them. Or you can add information manually. On the Plex app on the LG TV I can not search by directory.

I can do that on my computer (in the Plex program). There I have the option to browse by folder. If I really want to search for something I find it easier on the computer. Then, after I started the Plex program on my TV, I can start playing the movie on my TV from my computer. 

[George Hofmeister]

3 hours ago, PeterV said:

Plex knows, for many movies, what kind of movie it is. It also has the ability to filter you movies on for example Year, Genre, Rating, Director, Actor, Country, Studio.

If you filter on Genre you can select (in my case) on Actie, Action, Adventure, Animatie, Animation, Avonturen, Avontuur (that was only the A :-).

So Plex collects al kind of information on the Movies which you can use to filter them. Or you can add information manually. On the Plex app on the LG TV I can not search by directory.

I can do that on my computer (in the Plex program). There I have the option to browse by folder. If I really want to search for something I find it easier on the computer. Then, after I started the Plex program on my TV, I can start playing the movie on my TV from my computer. 

When you edit a film's details under tags you can add it to/create 'Collections' which would help narrow things down.  You can also create additional libraries to further sub-divide things.  There also is the ability to queue items to watch which might be what you are looking for.

But going to the computer, finding the item you want to watch, queueing it up and then going to the TV seems a little time consuming when you can just search in the Plex app on the TV itself.

[Ta Lo]

I followed the following steps for Windows Media Server setting

link hidden, please login to view

I followed the following steps for Kodi (same steps for windows PC)

 

[PeterV]

On 10-12-2017 at 3:27 PM, George Hofmeister said:

But going to the computer, finding the item you want to watch, queueing it up and then going to the TV seems a little time consuming when you can just search in the Plex app on the TV itself.

I only do this if I don't know the title of the movie. If you know what you want to see, you can do that on the TV. If you change filters, type part of a name, I find typing on a keyboard and using a mouse faster on the computer.

But of course, YMMV 🙂